Renaissance Minimalist: Focusing on Vitality

For the last few months, I’ve been flying under the radar. While gigs, teaching, and writing have certainly kept me busy, I’ve been dealing with a series of health issues best described as, “Nothing serious, but definitely annoying.” It’s especially annoying because I’ve spent years trying to better manage my physical and emotional health and thought I was doing well.

Recently, I’ve made a paradigm shift. I’ve gotten into “design thinking,” which focuses on solutions, rather than on problems. In doing so, I realized that I’ve been focusing way too much on problems (specific maladies) and not nearly enough on solutions (developing overall vitality).

Vitality refers to both physical and mental strength – which can be cultivated by anyone regardless of their condition or ability. Rather than focusing on the foods and experiences that I’m giving up for the sake of my health, I’m learning to appreciate the vitality that I’m gaining through healthier eating and living.

As I recently told my mom, “I’m not quite ready to get back to being awesome.” That said, I’m hoping my blogging will pick up a little bit (my goal is two posts per week) as things settle down. In the meantime, the best advice that I can give anyone is to focus on finding solutions over dwelling on problems.